John Atlas
| John Atlas | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 💼 Occupation | Lawyer, author, public interest advocate |
| Known for | Founder of Shelterforce; author of Seeds of Change |
| Notable work | Seeds of Change |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Bonnie Friedman |
| 👶 Children | 2 |
| 🌐 Website | Shelterforce |
John Atlas is an American public interest lawyer, author, and advocate for housing justice and community organizing. He is the author of Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN, America's Most Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group (2010).[1] He also served as the founder and long-time president of the National Housing Institute (NHI), which publishes Shelterforce, a magazine focused on affordable housing and community development.[2]
Early life and education
Atlas earned a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Miami in 1965. He received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1968 and an LL.M. in Urban Law from George Washington University National Law Center in 1971, where his thesis addressed citizen participation in urban renewal. In 2004, he was a Charles H. Revson Fellow at Columbia University.
Legal career and advocacy
Atlas began his legal career as a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow and went on to serve as a staff attorney and later managing attorney at Essex County Legal Services. From 1981 to 2002, he was the Executive Director of the Passaic County Legal Aid Society. In that role, he worked on housing and poverty law, and contributed to significant tenant protection legislation in New Jersey.
Shelterforce and the National Housing Institute
In 1976, Atlas co-founded Shelterforce magazine as a voice for the tenants' rights movement. He served as president of the National Housing Institute—the nonprofit publisher of the magazine—until 2015. Under his leadership, Shelterforce became a widely respected source of reporting and analysis on urban policy, affordable housing, and community organizing.[3]
Seeds of Change and ACORN and the Firestorm
Atlas's 2010 book, Seeds of Change, chronicles the rise and fall of ACORN, one of the largest and most controversial community organizing groups in the United States. The book inspired the 2017 documentary film ACORN and the Firestorm, directed by Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard. The film was featured on PBS and selected for festivals including Tribeca and the Traverse City Film Festival.[4]
Board service and public policy
Atlas served on the board of New Jersey Policy Perspective as of at least 2007,[5] and was a founding board member of New Jersey Citizen Action. He held various public service roles including appointments to the New Jersey Governor’s Work Group on Child and Family Services, the Clinton administration’s Resolution Trust Corporation Advisory Board, and committees for the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency and State Planning Commission.
Publications and media
Atlas has written for major national outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, and The American Prospect. He has frequently addressed issues of housing, economic justice, and democratic participation. He has appeared on media programs such as The Donahue Show, NPR’s All Things Considered, and public television in New Jersey.
Personal life
Atlas lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with his wife, Bonnie Friedman. They have two children and four grandchildren. He has stated that coaching his children's sports teams was among his proudest personal achievements.
Selected bibliography
- Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN (Vanderbilt University Press, 2010)
- How to Save Affordable Housing (co-authored with Ellen Shoshkes, 1998)
- The Right to Housing: A Blueprint for Housing the Nation (contributor, Institute for Policy Studies, 1989)
External links
References
- ↑ Atlas, John (2010). Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN. Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN 9780826516943 Check
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- ↑ "Author Bios". Shelterforce. November 1996. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
- ↑ "About Shelterforce". Retrieved 2025-05-13.
- ↑ "ACORN and the Firestorm". First Run Features. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
- ↑ "New Jersey Policy Perspective". GuideStar. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
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